Follow Us!

Further to my earlier articles on Red Lion Court, I paste below correspondence with the developer so that residents can see their position.

Dear Julia

Thank you again for getting in touch with us about the concerns you have heard from local residents regarding Red Lion Court. We agree with your suggestion that more information should be provided to you so Paul (Knightsbridge Capital) has provided an initial statement, below. I would appreciate it if you could post the statement on your blog so that you can signpost any others with concerns to your website.

We would also like to see if you are available for a meeting with us in the next couple of weeks so that we can provide further information on the heritage and design aspects of the proposals. Significant work has been undertaken to ensure that the proposals are the best for the site and we would keenly welcome the opportunity to present this to you.

Kind regards

Ellis

–STATEMENT–

Paul Turton of Knightsbridge Capital said:

“Having previously lived in Wapping for eight years I have felt determined to ensure that our proposals for Red Lion Court are of a high standard and are sensitively designed to reflect the character of the local area. In consultation with both London Borough of Tower Hamlets and English Heritage we investigated the feasibility of a number of designs, some that included the existing façade and some that didn’t. It became very clear to us that due to the façade’s poor structural integrity and the location of its windows it would not be feasible to retain the façade in the new development and still meet the living standards expected of modern accommodation.

“At our recent public exhibition we received feedback showing that 82% of respondents feel that Red Lion Court is currently having a negative effect on the conservation area. 77% of respondents felt that our proposals were well designed and we hope to continue our discussions with planning officers to ensure that our proposals are the best for Red Lion Court. We welcome anyone who would like to find out more to read the Design and Access Statement, which will be submitted along with our planning application in the near future, or alternatively you can contact the team on ellis.cresswell@ppsgroup.co.uk or 08000 086 769”

A few residents have written to me expressing their concern at loss of heritage given that the warehouse will be torn down, along with the façade.

I have written to planning officers asking for their views on the retention of the old building as it was drawn to my attention that previous schemes did manage to retain aspects of the existing building. I also asked for information on whether it would be a delegated planning decision or whether it would go to committee. I was told it would be delegated unless twenty letters of interest in the application are put forward. I’m going to post all this information on my website so that residents are aware.

I must admit that I am not happy at the loss of all the historical fabric of the site and if the developer really believes that it should not be retained, I would recommend that more information is provided from them on the case against retention so that residents can better understand the arguments on both sides.